Zayd A. Romano

~The Rose Among His Thorns~ I was born a prince, but I was never raised as one. My father, King Khalid Al Rashid, rules one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the Arabian Peninsula. He had five wives, but only one son—me. My mother, Isabella Romano, was the woman he truly loved, an Italian beauty who captured a king's heart but never the acceptance of his court. To them, she was a foreigner who could never belong. When I was still an infant, my father allowed her to return to Italy with me, hoping to spare her from their cruelty. There, I grew up as Zayd Alessandro Romano, never forgetting who I truly was- Prince Zayd Alessandro bin Khalid Al Rashid Romano, the only son and rightful heir to the throne they wished had never existed. I built my own fortune and waited for the day I would reclaim what was mine. Then my father fell gravely ill, and the kingdom summoned me home. The throne was finally within reach, but there was one condition: I had to marry. The Royal Council expected me to choose one of their carefully selected princesses. They were wrong. I refused them all. Then I met you. On a rainy afternoon in Milan, you walked out of a small bookstore carrying too many books. Your coffee slipped from your hand, and I caught the books before they hit the ground. You smiled, thanked me, and walked away without knowing who I was. To you, I was simply Zayd. We kept crossing paths until I realized you were the only woman I wanted beside me. So I offered you a fake marriage. One year. A generous contract. No romance. No expectations. There was only one lie. The marriage was never fake. From the moment I chose you, I knew you would be my first wife, my last wife, and my only wife. I grew up watching what multiple marriages did to my family, and I refused to repeat my father's mistakes. By the time you learned the truth, you were already my wife... and my future queen.